It's Not Always How You Expect
by mockingjay-x
Summary: His hand would attach itself to hers almost all the time and he looked at her the way he used to. The way she loved so much. - Puckleberry one-shot.


**Dido's 'Thank You' is the inspiration for this one. I love that song, I really do.**

**This one is longer than the rest. Also, don't expect this many updates so often. Apparently, I have this need to write Puckleberry tonight. **

**I was gonna put it with Traditions, but I don't think it really fits. Which is why it's a one-shot.**

**I own nothing. It all belongs to Ryan and Co.  
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Broadway had always been her dream, always. Everyone who knew her, knew that much. Everyone at school, everyone in Lima, everyone at Julliard. They all knew that Rachel Berry had a dream to be on Broadway. There wasn't a lot that she wouldn't do to get it either. Other than sleep with the director to get a part. When she was on Broadway, it would be because she was talented enough, not because she was a slut. She wasn't. She'd only slept with two people in her lifetime. Finn and Noah. Although it was more of a Noah and then Finn, then Noah again.

Finn had happened in a moment of madness. No, she'd never loved him. Not to the extent she loved Noah. She loved the idea of being McKinley's power couple with him, not actually Finn himself. She'd lost her virginity to Noah during their second attempt at dating. They'd then split up two weeks later and she'd gone running into the open arms of Finn, which was when she'd slept with him. It took her all of ten minutes of post sex cuddling to realise she'd made a huge mistake. She'd apologised to Finn and gone over to Noah's. Only to see one of the freshman cheerios open the door, a smirk on her face. When Noah came up behind the blonde and saw Rachel standing there, he'd pushed the girl aside immediately. Rachel didn't wait though, she didn't want to be around him.

Sure, she was a hypocrite. She'd just had sex with his friend, but she felt bad for it. She felt sick because of it. Her Noah had just had sex with some cheerio and she'd done it with his friend. He didn't know what she had done though, he never knew.

Not until they were both in New York and literally bumped into one another in Times Square one night. She was with her friend Michelle from Julliard and he was with a group of guys. Her and Michelle had been too caught up in their conversation, laughing about something and the next thing she knew she had walked into someone. Rachel apologised profusely and then looked up to see none other than Noah Puckerman standing in front of her, his hands resting on her arms.

He hadn't changed, not much. The mohawk was gone, but he was still the same. He still had that same smirk on his lips when he noticed it was her. His arms were still just as amazing as always.

They started to meet for coffee once a week, just to catch up. Turns out, he was living two streets away from her and studying at NYU. He'd taken a year out before college though, to get more money together for it before heading to New York. He still kept in touch with Santana and Mike, but that was it. She hadn't kept in touch with anyone. What was the point when no one had really liked her? Or at least the only person who had was the one who sat across from her in the tiny little coffee house once a week. The one who had got away. It was during these meetings that she told him about Finn, he looked hurt. She had reminded him that it meant nothing and she had just wanted to feel wanted. Namely by him, but he wasn't there.

Four months after running into one another, Noah kissed her. It's was kind of cliché really. They were standing at the top of the Empire State Building and his arms wrapped around her waist as she let her head rest on his chest looking out at New York. He had said something about it being a stupid romantic setting, to which she'd looked up at him all ready to reel off every single reason as to why it _was_ a romantic setting when his lips came crashing onto hers. It was exactly how she remembered. No, it was better than she remembered.

They started dating or something. She wasn't sure what it was. They were still doing exactly what they done before, only more often. His hand would attach itself to hers almost all the time and he looked at her the way he used to. The way she loved so much.

When she started to get auditions for shows, she would show up at his apartment every single time afterwards. He'd usually be studying, but would take a break for her. She'd usually just bound into his room, wrap her arms around him and tell him how much fun the audition was. Each time she doubted herself, he would be there to pick her up again and make her believe. He believed in her so she should do the same. Just like she had always believed in him and he was doing that now.

When she got a job, it wasn't quite on Broadway, it was off Broadway though, she was so ecstatic, she couldn't wait to get over to his apartment to tell him. She'd called him and told him straight away, he'd laughed and told her that he always knew she'd do it. To which she reminded him it wasn't Broadway yet.

That lasted six months, not even that really. She didn't get along with a single one of her co-stars, because they really all were arrogant and in love with themselves. The director was gay and had this huge crush on her lead co-star and because of the scenes she got with him, he hated her. Was it her fault? No. He was the one directing the damn play.

It was a Thursday when Rachel realised that being on Broadway (or off-Broadway) wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. She dreaded going into work, literally dreaded it. She didn't want to move out of her bed, she wanted to just stay there all day and feel sorry for herself. She did though, she went into work. She done everything flawlessly. (When she eventually got there anyway, public transport wasn't her friend that day, at all. Neither was the fat guy who squashed up against her on the subway.) Yet, William, her director spent almost the entire time yelling at her. The moment she stepped off the stage after her perfomance, the tears fell. She couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't do this.

She'd chosen to walk home that night, it was raining, but she didn't care. She also didn't care that it was fifteen blocks to her apartment. At least no one saw her tears in the rain. She didn't even call Noah on the way home like she always done. She ignored the text that she got from him asking if she was home yet. She just wanted to curl up in bed and cry. Maybe she needed another dream.

The moment she'd walked into her apartment, she was surprised to see her boyfriend (yeah, he called himself that more often than she called him it) standing there holding one of her bright pink fluffy towels in his hand, a small smile on his face. She hadn't said anything, just taken off her coat and boots before walking over to him and letting him wrap the towel around her small body. His arms followed and she let the tears flow again against his chest.

They'd stood there for ten minutes until she finally stopped crying and she pulled away from him, keeping the towel around her body. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, he placed his finger on her lips and shook his head.

"Don't do it to yourself. Just quit, babe. Move in with me and we'll make it work." He had whispered, he knew her better than she knew herself, he always had. "Scott is moving out next week, you can move in. You'll get another job, a better one. You'll get one on Broadway."

"I can't afford it, Noah. We can't afford to live on just what you make." She replied, her eyes not leaving his the whole time.

"We'll make it work, alright? I don't want to have you coming home in tears because you're not enjoying this. I want you to be happy, so quit. Please, baby?" He had pouted which caused Rachel to laugh and nod her head. Living with Noah would be quite nice, she knew it would be.

It was, it was amazing. She had quit the play and got a job at their coffee shop, nothing like she imagined, but she enjoyed it. Then, she got a callback from an audition she went on. Two weeks later, she got the job. She was going to be Mary in Mary Poppins. She had hurried to Noah's work and ran into his arms, a bright smile on her lips as he swung her round. She whispered that she got the part and he'd kissed her. Not caring about his colleagues around them. She'd thanked him for being there for her, for supporting her when things got tough.

On her first night, she saw him sitting in the audience with her Dad's and his Mom and sister. It had been the most amazing night of her life. Only when she went backstage to her dressing room afterwards, he was there, down on one knee. There was a small box in his hand, and a white gold ring in it. The simple words 'Marry me?' had escaped his lips and she just nodded her head before the tears fell.

Even if things weren't going right in her life and all she had was Noah, she'd be the happiest girl on Earth.

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**Review, please? I'd appreciate it.**


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